City's new police chief is 33-year veteran

Thursday

Apr 5, 2012 at 12:01 AMApr 5, 2012 at 9:19 PM

Kimberley Jacobs is the city's new police chief, the first woman named to the post. Jacobs, 54, has been a police officer since 1979 and was promoted to deputy chief in 2009. Her appointment was announced by Mayor Michael B. Coleman at City Hall this afternoon.

Doug Caruso, The Columbus Dispatch

Kimberley Jacobs is the city’s new police chief, the first woman named to the post.

Jacobs, 54, has been a police officer since 1979 and was promoted to deputy chief in 2009. Her appointment was announced by Mayor Michael B. Coleman at City Hall this afternoon.

As a deputy chief, Jacobs oversaw the administrative subdivision, which handles budgeting, personnel and other issues. She also served as the division’s liaison to Coleman’s and Safety Director Mitchell J. Brown’s offices.

In 2010, Jacobs was the architect of a redistricting plan that was designed to place officers where they were most needed.

It went into effect over the objection of the city’s police union in July of that year. In October, neighborhood leaders interviewed by The Dispatch said the changes had gone smoothly and, in some cases, helped address police-coverage issues.

“I have demonstrated the courage to make difficult and, at times, unwelcome, decisions that are necessary to advancing our organization and increasing our efficiency,” Jacobs wrote in her application letter.

Jacobs takes the place of Police Chief Walter Distelzwieg, who retired this year. She was among four deputy chiefs who applied for the job.